Wesley Vision Valley
Wesley Vision Valley
If Long Point Conference Centre isn’t available on the dates required by your group, then Wesley Vision Valley is one of several alternative venues which may be available.
Wesley Vision Valley is an award-winning venue located to the north-west of Sydney, in the rural district of Arcadia. It is set on 100 acres of native Australian bushland adjoining the Berowra Bushland Reserve. Wesley Vision Valley hosts school camps, school holiday programs, corporate events, team building events, community groups, and international visitors.
Wesley Vision Valley provides curriculum-based programs and short courses for school groups, including courses to help students become “job-ready” such as a Barista short course and Gardening short course. They also host band camps and bike programs. They have experience in hosting youth at risk or with other challenges. They also provide school holiday adventure day camps.
Wesley Vision Valley hosts corporate retreats and team building events. These can include anything from high-adrenaline activities to relaxation, and packages can be customised to the needs of the group.
Another type of group catered for at Wesley Vision Valley is the community group, including church groups, youth groups, family reunions and sports or craft clubs. These are normally weekend events.
Wesley Vision Valley also hosts groups of international visitors, including students or other people who wish to experience Australia’s environment, history and culture first-hand. They provide 2 night/3 day packages for these groups.
Below is some more detailed information about Wesley Vision Valley, to help you decide whether this could be the ideal venue for your group event.
Accommodation
Wesley Vision Valley’s accommodation consists of 4 lodges known as Lodge One, Two and Three and Stringy Bark Lodge, which in total sleep 234 people. The minimum number for bookings is 20. The lodges are comfortable and functional, and each of them has a guest lounge including a kitchenette, TV and DVD player, and a large veranda.
Most of the rooms are quad-share although some are larger, and all have double bunks only. Some are wheelchair accessible. Ensure you ask about wheelchair accessibility if any members of your group will require this. Pillows, doonas and blankets are provided, and linen sets are available for hire.
Stringy Bark Lodge is the largest lodge. It sleeps up to 78 people in 17 bedrooms, 8 of which have en suites. As well as a guest lounge, this lodge also includes a meeting room, kitchen and dining room and auditorium. It also has a pool and spa for its guests to use, as well as a campfire site nearby.
Lodge One sleeps up to 60 people in 12 rooms. Only one of these has an en suite. Its veranda overlooks the lake.
Lodge Two sleeps up to 40 people in 10 rooms – again, one of which has an en suite.
Lodge Three sleeps up to 56 people in 14 rooms on two levels, four of which have en suites.
All four lodges have separate male and female bathrooms for the use of guests who do not have en suites.
Conference and Meeting Facilities
The main hall building at Wesley Vision Valley serves as a recreation hall and large meeting room, and is also used as a dining room. It comfortably seats up to 200 people. The main hall has a stage, whiteboard, data projector and large screen and PA system. These are available for use on request.
There are two separate smaller meeting rooms located in the Homestead building. The larger one is known as the Studio Room and seats around 40 people. The smaller Leaders’ Retreat seats about 15 people and has a pot-belly stove. In addition, an outdoor alfresco area is able to fit about 10 people.
Education, Adventure, Sport and Recreation Facilities
Wesley Vision Valley is located on native bushland, and has a wide variety of facilities and activities available for its guests. These range from adventure and team building activities to sport, recreation and relaxation. Fully programmed camps can be provided, or the activities can be booked and run as part of your own program.
Adventure and team building activities are run by the trained instructors at Wesley Vision Valley. High-adrenaline options available include abseiling, leap of faith, high and low ropes courses, flying fox and downhill biking. Other available activities range from raft building and canoeing to orienteering and wilderness challenge.
Wesley Vision Valley also provides activities for international visitors to experience the Australian culture, environment and history. These include a bush experience, bush dance, Aboriginal cultural programs and sheep shearing.
Staff can provide evening activities such as trivia night, campfire including roasting marshmallows, outdoor movie night and disco night.
There are also plenty of options for sport, recreation and relaxation. Facilities include two heated swimming pools, waterslide, archery, and beach volleyball court. Sports equipment is available for guests to use. There is a pirate ship playground and a grassed playing field. Guests can go for walks in the bush (guided or self-guided) and experience native flora and wildlife such as kookaburras, wallabies and goannas.
A comprehensive list of both instructor-led and self-staffed activities available at Wesley Vision Valley can be found here, with information about each one. Ensure you contact the venue in advance to book instructor-led activities if you would like them in your program.
Catering Possibilities
At Wesley Vision Valley, all camps are fully catered – self-catering is not an option. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided, as well as morning tea, afternoon tea and supper. Wesley Vision Valley has Gold Licence Catering Accreditation.
There are two dining rooms. The larger one, in the main centre, seats up to 250 people, and the smaller one, in Stringy Bark Lodge, seats up to 80.
At the time of publishing, the Wesley Vision Valley website does not provide any information about menus. If you (or any members of your group) have any food allergies or other special dietary requirements, ensure that you contact the venue prior to booking your event, to enquire if they can be catered for.
Distance from Sydney
Wesley Vision Valley is located in the Arcadia area, approximately 43 kilometres north-west of Sydney, or up to one hours’ drive. To get there, follow the M2 until you reach Pennant Hills Road, exit the M2 and follow Pennant Hills Road towards Hornsby. At Thompson’s Corner turn left into Castle Hill Road and then right into New Line Road, which will eventually become Old Northern Road. Turn right into Wylds Road and then left into Arcadia Road. Turn right into Vision Valley Road where you see the large Wesley Vision Valley sign.
Comparison between Wesley Vision Valley and Long Point Conference Centre
| Wesley Vision Valley | Long Point Conference Centre | |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | Up to 234 guests | Up to 150 guests |
| On-site Facilities | 350 and 250 seat auditoriums 250 and 80 seat dining rooms Chapels 2 swimming pools Waterslide Children’s playground Other sport and recreation facilities Instructor led activities | 200 seat auditorium 160 seat dining area Café Swimming pool Sauna Sports field with flood lights Other sport and recreation facilities |
| Catering | Fully catered only | Fully catered or self-catered |
| Distance from Sydney | Up to 1 hour | Up to 1 hour |
Local Attractions
There are several attractions within a short drive of Wesley Vision Valley that cater for a variety of interests and age groups.
Wesley Vision Valley is adjacent to Berowra Bushland Reserve, parkland which is great for picnics, camping and other outdoor activities.
The Koala Park Sanctuary is located in West Pennant Hills, and set on lush rainforest and bushland. It is approximately 18 kilometres or about 25 minutes’ drive from Wesley Vision Valley, and is open every day except Christmas Day. As the name suggests, this park started off as a koala sanctuary, but now many other native Australian birds and animals can also be seen there. Here, you can see koala shows and have your picture taken with koalas. There are also other shows such as dingo presentations, sheep shearing shows and reptile presentations. The park is suitable for the walking impaired as there are no steps.
Berowra Waters is located about 8 kilometres or 12 minutes’ drive from Wesley Vision Valley. Here you can book cruises on Berowra Creek and the Hawkesbury River. Cruise operators in this location are Hawkesbury River Cruises and Macquarie Princess Cruises (no website). You can book a catered half day or full day cruise and enjoy a gourmet barbecue while cruising past the spectacular scenery of Berowra Waters National Park. It is also possible to hire your own boat from Berowra Waters Marinas.
